transmission

American  

[trans-mish-uhn, tranz-] / trænsˈmɪʃ ən, trænz- /

noun

• transmissions
  plural

1. the act or process of transmitting.

   Synonyms:

   conveyance, passing, passage, transfer

2. the fact of being transmitted.

   Synonyms:

   conveyance, passing, passage, transfer

3. something that is transmitted.

4. Machinery.

   1. transference of force between machines or mechanisms, often with changes of torque and speed.

   2. a compact, enclosed unit of gears or the like for this purpose, as in an automobile.

5. Radio and Television. the broadcasting of electromagnetic waves from one location to another, as from a transmitter to a receiver.

6. Physics. transmittance.

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transmission British  

/ trænzˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of transmitting

2. something that is transmitted

3. the extent to which a body or medium transmits light, sound, or some other form of energy

4. the transference of motive force or power

5. a system of shafts, gears, torque converters, etc, that transmits power, esp the arrangement of such parts that transmits the power of the engine to the driving wheels of a motor vehicle

6. the act or process of sending a message, picture, or other information from one location to one or more other locations by means of radio waves, electrical signals, light signals, etc

7. a radio or television broadcast

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontransmission
  noun
• pretransmission
  noun
• retransmission
  noun
• transmissibility
  noun
• transmissiveness
  noun
• transmissible
  adjective
• transmissive
  adjective
• untransmissive
  adjective
• transmissively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• transmissions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of transmission

1605–15; < Latin trānsmissiōn- (stem of trānsmissiō ) a sending across, equivalent to trānsmiss ( us ) (past participle of trānsmittere to send across) + -iōn- -ion. See trans-, mission

Explanation

Transmission is the act of transferring something from one spot to another, like a radio or TV broadcast, or a disease going from one person to another. The noun transmission comes from the Latin word transmissio, which means “sending over or across, passage.” The transmission of a message is the delivery of the message. Transmission can also be a communication sent out by radio or television, while the transmission of a disease is the passing of that virus or bacteria between people. A vehicle’s transmission is the part of the engine that uses the energy created by the burning fuel to make the axle turn.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transmission transmissions

That appears to have been possible even before the bacterium developed the efficient flea-based transmission associated with later bubonic plague.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

"This is petrol stations, it's shopping malls, it's business centres, but it's especially energy infrastructure, energy transmission lines, and so on. There is absolutely no justification for that," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

I grew up to be a cognitive neuroscientist, and these memories resurfaced recently during my research on the transmission of trauma across generations.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

And now, be the latest node in a transmission that includes Ka, his parents and grandparents, and the ancestors he never knew, but whose wisdom he inherited.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

He had decided to replace the transmission in his truck and called over his mechanic friend, Jimmy Hunter, to help.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Along with paying the fines, the GEO Group agreed to draft plans for avoiding aerosol transmissions at 12 secure and reentry facilities in California, including five detention centers that hold immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

From then on, the question is no longer simply which chromosome survived, but in what kind of society these transmissions took place.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

The inconsistent purity of the copper could garble transmissions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

MasTec is now a leading North American infrastructure and construction company, with 50% of its business from oil and natural-gas pipelines and 30% from high-voltage electric power transmissions, with just 25% from telecoms.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

The radio transmissions were in shorthand: the Corona had put in a call from northwest of sounding board 56, looking for a fix from the lighthouse radio signal.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Related Words

• broadcast
• communication
• delivery
• gearbox